- Oh Se-hoon's first trial based on inferences... Will be rectified in second trial
- No Plan B... Mentioning intra-party pros and cons is "penny wise, pound foolish"
- An acquittal will create a new narrative... Media is rushing ahead
- Park Minyoung's "Cut ties with Oh"? Royal guard exists around Jang Dong-hyuk
- Han Dong-hoon gets more room? Must first think of "regaining power"
- Real estate town hall debate only leaves the impression that taxes will go up
- Lee is caught up in thinking he is the best... Intoxicated by power
- Is tripling holding taxes normal? Must look at real estate taxes as a whole
- Looking only at statistics he wants to see... Taxes will definitely go up
- Jang Dong-hyuk's position: Resolve Election Commission and Ethics Committee issues first
- Must reform system to build a people-centered party
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00–9:00 AM)
■ Date: July 24, 2026 (Friday)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Representative Cho Eun-hee (People Power Party)
▷Kim Tae-hyun: How did the opposition view the grand real estate debate chaired by the President yesterday? We have Representative Cho Eun-hee of the People Power Party, an administrative expert who served as Vice Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul and Head of Seocho-gu District Office. Representative Cho, welcome.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Hello. I'm Cho Eun-hee, not "Napeun-hee" (Bad-hee).
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Is that a new catchphrase you created?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Ever since I was district mayor. That way, even kids remember my name well. When I say I'm Cho Eun-hee ("Good-hee") and not Napeun-hee ("Bad-hee"), if they can't remember Cho Eun-hee when passing by, they call me Ippeun-hee ("Pretty-hee").
▷Kim Tae-hyun: That's nice.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Thank you.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: By the way, one of the key items on your resume is Vice Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul.
▶Cho Eun-hee: That's right.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: The mayor back then was the current Mayor, Oh Se-hoon.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Mayor Oh Se-hoon.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: You're a lawmaker who is very close to Mayor Oh Se-hoon, right?
▶Cho Eun-hee: I served as head of his general campaign headquarters this time as well.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: You were head of the general campaign headquarters.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: But the ruling outcome was not good. At least for the first trial result. How do you view this?
▶Cho Eun-hee: It's very tragic and incomprehensible. Because criminal trials are centered on evidence. As a lawyer, you know this well. But expressions like "it is likely that" or "it is judged to be so"—such inferences appear as many as 58 times. In other words, it was a trial based on mind-reading. So I believe it will definitely be corrected in the second trial.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Before the ink on the Mayor's certificate of election has even dried—it has only been 49 days since he took office—they want to drag him down from representing 10 million Seoul citizens. I suspect this might stem from dissatisfaction over having an opposition mayor of Seoul.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: So although it's a suspicion, could there have been pressure on the judiciary to speed up this trial?
▶Cho Eun-hee: As for the broadcast, right? We opposed the broadcast. But seeing them push ahead with it made me feel an ominous chill.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: The day before the ruling came out, the court announced that while live broadcasting wasn't allowed, they could record video and broadcast it. Seeing that...
▶Cho Eun-hee: We opposed that. And when Judge Lee Jin-gwan found former President Yoon Suk Yeol guilty and placed Myung Tae-kyun in court custody, I also wondered if something was going on.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: So you felt an ominous chill about Mayor Oh's ruling as well?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes, I had those thoughts.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: But in a similar case, First Lady Kim Keon-hee was acquitted.
▶Cho Eun-hee: That's why it's arbitrary magistrate justice. Guilt or innocence depends on the judge's tendency, so now we intend to clear things up properly in the appellate court. To add one more thing, President Lee Jae-myung was also sentenced to prison two years ago, but now he is serving as President at the Blue House.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: By any chance, did you speak on the phone with Mayor Oh after the trial?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Of course I did.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: What did Mayor Oh say?
▶Cho Eun-hee: He was composed.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Is that so?
▶Cho Eun-hee: He actually apologized to me, saying, "This is just the beginning," and that he would stay devoted to city administration and do his best. From what I saw, he seems to have gained considerable experience and matured significantly.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Right. A verdict is only final when every trial reaches the Supreme Court. While the issues differ slightly regarding Myung Tae-kyun, former President Yoon Suk Yeol was found guilty, First Lady Kim Keon-hee was acquitted, and Mayor Oh Se-hoon was found guilty. But the case related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, which includes the Myung Tae-kyun opinion poll issue, was just one day away from sentencing yesterday. Yet, it was referred to the En Banc Bench of the Supreme Court.
▶Cho Eun-hee: This also feels ominous.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: There are speculations that this might somehow be an attempt to overturn the acquittal.
▶Cho Eun-hee: This as well, actually. This should have come out before Mayor Oh Se-hoon's trial result, but when former President Yoon Suk Yeol was found guilty, they asked for a postponement. And now it has gone to the En Banc Bench. So, I will say we'll keep watching.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: But from your perspective, and from the People Power Party's perspective, while you naturally hope Mayor Oh Se-hoon recovers, does feeling "an ominous chill" mean you should be considering a Plan B in case the outcome isn't good?
▶Cho Eun-hee: No.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Not at all?
▶Cho Eun-hee: We are confident in an acquittal.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: I see. Politically, what impact does this have on the People Power Party? This morning's daily newspapers published many analytical articles. Mayor Oh Se-hoon of Seoul, a leading potential presidential candidate, received a ruling invalidating his election in the first trial. While an acquittal would be ideal, if that doesn't happen, what should the People Power Party do? What are members of the People Power Party thinking? Many articles like that have come out.
▶Cho Eun-hee: I think those articles are jumping the gun. And if Mayor Oh Se-hoon receives an acquittal in the second trial, a new narrative will be created.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Well, that's true.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes. Good things don't just happen all at once; I believe a story unfolds through overcoming difficulties.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Also, arguing about intra-party advantages or disadvantages right now seems like being penny wise and pound foolish. After all, by growing the pie with figures like Oh Se-hoon, Han Dong-hoon, and Lee Jun-seok, we gave hope that we are not an infertile party, which is why our party's approval rating went up. In that sense, thinking, "Oh, one of my competitors might fall, so I'm happy"—I think that is a very shallow calculation.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: That's why in this morning's Chosun Ilbo article, party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, who belongs to the pro-leadership faction, posted a comment asking "Does this ruling make any sense?" However, for instance, Media Spokesperson Park Minyoung, one of the pro-leadership figures...
▶Cho Eun-hee: He's originally that kind of person.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Do you know what he said? On his personal YouTube channel, he mentioned "Jeol-Oh"—meaning cutting ties with Oh Se-hoon—saying there are even talks that we should cut ties with Oh.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Exactly, and not just him, but also the former foreign media spokesperson.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Joo Hyun-chul?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes. That's right. So it seems there's a vanguard force around Representative Jang Dong-hyuk.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: A royal guard?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes, a royal guard. People who take the lead in speaking out.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Thinking, "Since Mayor Oh Se-hoon is gone, one of the people shaking Representative Jang's position is gone"?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Well, that could invite such a misunderstanding.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: And you're saying that is being penny wise and pound foolish.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: How do you view the movements of the pro-Han faction? Because you know what I'm about to ask, right?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Not long ago, in a Kyunghyang Shinmun report yesterday evening, it was reported that you captured and posted an excerpt of a Yonhap News article containing reactions from some pro-Han lawmakers in the "Alternative and Future" group chat room, and then deleted it.
▶Cho Eun-hee: They contacted me. I didn't say anything; I just wanted to verify whether this was indeed the stance of the pro-Han faction.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: The content of that article was that since the two are rivals, if Mayor Oh Se-hoon falls...
▶Cho Eun-hee: Han Dong-hoon gets more room.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Gets bigger, takes all the spotlight.
▶Cho Eun-hee: And that his reinstatement to the party would happen faster. But our common goal should be to grow the pie together through fair competition to win back power. Calculating like that before things are even properly settled—isn't that miscalculated? Thinking "They surely don't really think that way, do they?", I posted the article without saying anything, and then people contacted me.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Saying that's not what they meant?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes, that it wasn't. They asked who said such things, wondering if it was a ploy to drive a wedge between them. So after confirming, I took it down.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Is that so?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Today, Chosun Ilbo published a report with a different tone. Quoting a pro-Han lawmaker, it said Han Dong-hoon's true intention is that we must expand the pie.
▶Cho Eun-hee: I think so, too.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Saying that it is not a good thing for Mayor Oh Se-hoon to be absent right now, something like that.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: That was reported in Chosun Ilbo today as Representative Han's inner thoughts.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Perhaps it was because I posted asking them to clarify their stance, though I'm not sure.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: All right. Let's talk about real estate. Yesterday, the President held a grand real estate debate. Experts, bureaucrats, ordinary citizens, and YouTubers were invited to discuss various topics. First, your overall review: how did you view it yesterday?
▶Cho Eun-hee: In a word, the public feels anxious, frustrated, and worried. After watching that debate, everyone is left thinking, "Taxes are going to go up, what should we do?" Most of the public's suggestions were to ease loan regulations, but the response was that loans will be tightened further. So he said what he wanted to say, agreed with what he wanted to hear, and skipped over the voices of those talking about activating the private rental business in response to surging monthly and jeonse rents. In a way, it was talking past each other and a declaration of "I walk my own path." However, under the Moon Jae-in administration as well, even with holding tax hikes and easing loan regulations, real estate prices skyrocketed. Isn't he trying to walk that exact same path? And during the last local elections when the President voted early, you're not supposed to show your ballot at the polling station. But saying "It doesn't matter, come here"—that attitude of "I'm fine"—when looking at things like the President's home in Bundang and utilizing landlord loan opportunities, it made me feel that this might be the underlying mindset governing the President these days.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: What is that? What do you mean?
▶Cho Eun-hee: "I know everything, I am the top expert. I've been a real estate expert since I was a lawyer in Seongnam, and I designed Daejang-dong myself. So nobody knows real estate better than I do, I am right." Just as showing the ballot paper didn't seem to matter to him. In a way, seeing him surrounded by power and intoxicated by power—that was the underlying mindset I sensed from yesterday's debate penetrating the President these days.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: You have been active on the Special Committee for Real Estate Policy Normalization in the People Power Party, as well as the Seoul City Chapter's Special Committee for Housing Ladder Normalization, making you a real estate expert within the People Power Party.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yesterday, the President said: "I will not decide real estate policy by majority vote. But a certain degree of conflict and resistance must also be endured." How did you interpret this comment?
▶Cho Eun-hee: That's exactly it.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: "I can do everything"?
▶Cho Eun-hee: "I can do everything. I know best. So no matter how much you talk about easing loan regulations, deregulating private redevelopment projects in the capital area, or easing relocation loan issues and transfers of union member rights—it's all useless. Supply doesn't matter right now. And even when I fly around in a helicopter, there aren't many housing sites. Just raise the holding tax and tighten loans further, that's enough."
▷Kim Tae-hyun: So what the opposition demands is expanding supply. Do you view that instead of taking that path, the President is continuing down the path taken during the Moon Jae-in administration—suppressing demand by raising taxes and tightening loans?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes. He seems to believe that is correct. But what I also find disappointing is that he silenced Mayor Oh Se-hoon when he tried to make a suggestion during the Cabinet meeting, saying there were no housing sites to see even when flying in a helicopter.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Cho Eun-hee: What I also thought was completely out of nowhere was his claim that reconstruction and redevelopment cannot properly supply housing.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: He mentioned that yesterday—that reconstruction and redevelopment do not expand supply all that much.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Yes. How many Seoul citizens or members of the public would agree with such a statement? He seems to be that detached from public sentiment.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Regarding the holding tax, which the opposition opposes—raising taxes is actually not an easy thing to do, as it could be disadvantageous in elections. Do you ultimately believe the President will touch the holding tax? He brought it up yesterday, saying that logically it is the right thing to do.
▶Cho Eun-hee: If I were to pick just one statement from yesterday...
▷Kim Tae-hyun: What would it be?
▶Cho Eun-hee: He said that tripling the holding tax is normal.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶Cho Eun-hee: So a holding tax increase is definite.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Is that so?
▶Cho Eun-hee: In short, rather than taking measures like expanding supply or easing loan regulations, his message yesterday boiled down to: "We will now raise taxes."
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Then how will the People Power Party respond? You are outnumbered right now.
▶Cho Eun-hee: That is not the right answer. If you raise holding taxes, you must lower transaction taxes. While our holding tax is low compared to the global average, when including overall real estate taxes and transaction taxes, South Korea ranks third in the world. He shouldn't just cite statistics he wants to see. He needs to look at the big picture. The public sees everything.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. One last issue: What should be done regarding Representative Jang Dong-hyuk's position? You have consistently called for his resignation.
▶Cho Eun-hee: I think the timing has slipped a bit right now. Once the Election Commission issue is wrapped up, and considering the Ethics Committee has essentially been hit by a bomb, I think the matter will be discussed again alongside these issues.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: So, for instance, once the Election Commission issue is resolved, followed by the Ethics Committee issue, and when the cold wind starts blowing, Representative Jang's position will come up again?
▶Cho Eun-hee: I expect so. I hope the party leader will also become a whole leader who takes care of people's livelihoods, rather than a half-leader isolated in Olympic Park.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Then, Representative Cho, if you feel the timing has slipped now, when that time comes again, will you demand his resignation again?
▶Cho Eun-hee: Resignation plus system reform for our party. For example, becoming a people-centered party rather than a member-centered party that isolates itself as a niche party.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: People-centered.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Next week, a debate forum is scheduled by our group "Alternative and Future." As we shape public opinion through such efforts, the party leader will naturally have something to say, and I think there will be an action and reaction.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: So you mean if Representative Jang steps down, an emergency response committee should be formed to sort out those matters?
▶Cho Eun-hee: That's right.
▷Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. We will end today's interview here. This was Representative Cho Eun-hee of the People Power Party. Thank you.
▶Cho Eun-hee: Thank you. Have a great day.
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